Oh the lament of a person stuck in the soup! We have so many things that we use initials for that it can be incredibly confusing for anyone to keep up. Here is the short list, for those who care to continue reading my blog:

NCLB - No Child Left Behind - a relatively useless piece of ideological legislation that claims that all students should be advancing to a measurable degree each year, regardless of any background, disability, socio-economic factor, language issues, funding, parenting or any other random difficulty. They will all have computers, and will all know how to use them. This will all be judged on their performance on a standardized test (biased or otherwise) that a student can choose not to do well on... anyone else ever try to make pictures using scan-tron dots? Oh, and if you don't have all your students make yearly progress, they will pull the infinitesimally small funding you get.

IEP - Individualized Education Plan - For a special education student, this is the bible of what they can do, should do and what we want them to be able to do. A worthwhile document for the most part, this is written by a combination of parent, teacher and special education teacher/coordinator. Of course, to get a child to qualify, there must be a discrepancy between ability and achievement, which means that those kids with low ability to begin with rarely qualify and thus "slip through the cracks".

ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder - I'm not sure when this became a catch-all for any child that likes to stare out a window once in awhile, or finds it more interesting to talk to friends than do their homework. There is a neurological diagnosis of ADHD, which actually does state that there is a chemical imbalance of some kind in the brain, thus resulting in this condition. However, few parents actually go that route, and instead just insist that there must be SOMETHING wrong and push a doctor into diagnosing it. There is also an educational diagnosis option, which says that we see a problem in the classroom with attention/focus that must be addressed. I don't personally agree with either of these options. Here's an idea: SEND YOUR KID OUTSIDE TO PLAY WHEN THEY GET HOME! Don't over-program, overstimulate, overfeed and just generally overdo everything where your child is concerned. Watch their diet, as this can greatly effect their body's chemistry. No TV's in the bedroom, as this can effect sleep patterns. READ SOMETHING! Have activities that work the body AND the mind. It's amazing that those kids who are in only one competitive sport, or are dedicated to one year-round arts activity, etc, manage better and never come up with these issues!

Though I have significantly more concepts and ideas to toy with here, I'm going to sign off for now. Be prepared for the next post, Part II.

There was an interesting article in the newspaper the other day. It was written by a psychologist and was discussing the effect of self-esteem and over indulgence on children and on their parents. As a teacher, this is something I see almost daily.

Somewhere along the line, there was a move in the parent psychology world, that said that children should always feel good about themselves. If they do something wrong, we should tell them they are good. If they do something right, we tell them they're better. If they don't do anything at all, we should tell them that it's ok. And the worst, if they refuse to do anything at all, outright defiant to an adult authority figure, then that must be the fault of the authority figure, never the child. How could this possibly be bad for a child?

Ask yourself that question, if you are above the age of 25, or maybe even 30. Where would you be now if your parents or teachers told you that everything you did was good. Would you strive to be better? Would you have learned what your own strengths and weaknesses are? Would you have gained any insight into how the world works? Would you even know whether or not you found happiness in your life, or would everything just be fine in your eyes? What effect would that have on your career, marriage, etc.? Would you have coping skills?

I can flat-out tell you the answer to almost all of these questions is a invariably "NO". I see children that are ok with failure, that consistently try to blame everyone else for it, when all they needed to do was spend 20 minutes studying. I hear parents complain about how a test/homework assignment is too hard, because their child didn't do well. (Note: exact same student can complete whatever test/assignment it is in 15 minutes, 90-100% correct, when in a one-on-one with me and they are forced to do it) I have seen other teachers throw up hands in frustration and nearly surrender to these same people, just because it's easier than trying to prove the point.

I refuse! I utterly, undeniably, summarily refuse to do any of that!

I am strict. I know this, and so do my students. This does not mean I am unfair or unkind. I have high expectations that are communicated to the school community at large. I expect that my students learn from their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions. When a child says they don't know something, I don't take it on face value and hand them the answer. I make them work for it! I tell them that anything below a C is dissapointing, and that there is no reason that they should ever get an F, as long as their best effort is put forth. That is not an unreachable goal, especially since I am the one making the test!

Yet somehow, within this strict set of guidelines (I'll probably go into detail in another post), and these "high" expectations (also more details later), my students thrive. They learn, not just the subject matter, but also about themselves. They figure out that they need to study to do well. They realize that life isn't always easy and handed out on a silver platter. Sometimes, they feel horrible, yes I crush their self-esteem on occasion, because as I said, there is no reason for an F.

Despite all that, even though according to current belief, I am the worst person alive, my students enjoy my class, come back afterwards to visit, and turn out as better people (I hope!). They learn not just a class subject, but a little about themselves, and how to deal with the world.. oh, and when it's all over.. their self-esteem seems to be just fine.

Well, I have been thinking about this for awhile now. Should I post some of my thoughts as a teacher to the web, exposing myself and countless others (or noone) to the world for nothing more than the ability to blow off some steam.

You see, there are many things out there that I want to talk about, that I have thought about sharing, that frankly, could get me in a little bit of hot water. Yes, I am talking about my thoughts on being a teacher, and what it means to be a part of the educational system in this country today.

Will I complain about low pay? probably
Will I complain about NCLB (no child left behind)? umm.. YES
Will I complain about parents? YES
Will I complain about students? YES
Will I complain about my colleagues? YES
Will I also relate stories of how my students excelled and how a parent interaction made me smile? I hope so

I guess that's about it.. I need to start thinking about what I will post first. If you are out there reading this, and have any questions you ever wanted to pose to a teacher, but were afraid to ask, or if you're just curious, let me know.

Until then, keep your eye out for future posts!